Detect Poison And Disease
- Level: 1
- School: Divination
- Class: Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger
- Casting Time: Action or Ritual
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S, M (a yew leaf)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
For the duration, you sense the location of poisons, poisonous or venomous creatures, and magical contagions within 30 feet of yourself. You sense the kind of poison, creature, or contagion in each case.
The spell is blocked by 1 foot of stone, dirt, or wood; 1 inch of metal; or a thin sheet of lead.
Tactical Usage
Health Threat Detection: Detect Poison and Disease provides essential awareness of biological and magical health threats. This 1st-level divination spell excels at identifying dangerous substances and contaminated areas.
Optimal Timing: Most effective when exploring contaminated areas, investigating poisoning incidents, or preparing for encounters with venomous creatures.
Resource Management: Uses a 1st-level spell slot or ritual casting - available from character level 1+. 10-minute duration provides substantial investigation time.
Target Selection: Self-targeting provides 30-foot radius detection. Move systematically to sweep areas for health hazards.
Spell Combinations
Synergistic Spells:
- Protection Magic: Layer with protection from poison once threats are identified
- Healing Magic: Combine with purify food and drink or lesser restoration for comprehensive health protection
- Investigation Spells: Pair with other detection magic for complete area safety assessment
Class Feature Interactions:
- Natural Medicine: Rangers and druids gain enhanced understanding of natural poisons and diseases
- Divine Healing: Clerics and paladins can immediately treat identified threats
- Wilderness Skills: Survival expertise improves interpretation of detected natural dangers
Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple casters can cover larger areas or provide overlapping health threat detection.
Material Component Details
Component Acquisition: Yew leaf - available from yew trees, herbalists, or druidic suppliers.
Component Handling: Component not consumed during casting. Single leaf can be reused repeatedly.
Roleplay Opportunities: Different leaves or natural components might reflect regional traditions or druidic practices.
Economic Considerations: Minimal component cost makes this viable for regular health screening, especially when cast as a ritual.
Creator Notes
Encounter Balancing: Poison and disease detection affects encounters with venomous creatures and contaminated environments.
NPC Usage: Healers, herbalists, or city guards might use this for public health monitoring or crime investigation.
Environmental Considerations: Particularly valuable in swamps, dungeons, or areas with known contamination risks.
Campaign Integration: Essential health magic for campaigns involving plague outbreaks, poisoning mysteries, or hazardous environments.
Environmental Interactions
Terrain Effects: 30-foot radius detection centered on caster. Blocked by substantial barriers like stone, metal, or thick organic matter.
Weather Influence: Unaffected by weather conditions, providing reliable health threat detection regardless of external factors.
Structural Interactions: Blocked by barriers - 1 foot stone/dirt/wood, 1 inch metal, or thin lead sheet.
Elemental Interactions: Detects both natural and magical sources of poison and disease, including contaminated water or air.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Timing Questions: Action casting time or ritual (10 minutes). Concentration up to 10 minutes for ongoing detection.
Target Limitations: Self-range with 30-foot detection radius. Identifies specific types of poisons, creatures, and contagions.
Duration Interactions: Concentration required. Can be maintained while performing other activities.
Mechanical Interactions: Provides specific identification of poison/disease types and locations of dangerous creatures.
Alternative Applications
Non-Combat Uses: Food safety testing, water source verification, medical diagnosis assistance, or environmental health assessment.
Social Encounters: Investigate suspected poisoning, verify food safety at social events, or identify health threats in populated areas.
Exploration Applications: Safe campsite selection, water source evaluation, or hazardous area assessment.
Utility Functions: Public health monitoring, crime scene investigation, medical practice assistance, or environmental safety screening.
Related Spells
Same School: Other divination spells like detect magic (1st level magical detection), detect evil and good (1st level supernatural detection), locate animals or plants (2nd level creature finding).
Similar Effects: purify food and drink (1st level contamination removal), lesser restoration (2nd level condition removal), neutralize poison (condition treatment).
Progression Options: detect poison and disease (1st level identification), lesser restoration (2nd level treatment), greater restoration (5th level comprehensive healing).
Complementary Magic: purify food and drink (treat detected contamination), protection from poison (prevent identified threats), lesser restoration (cure detected conditions).
Scaling Analysis
Level Progression: Remains consistently valuable throughout campaigns for health threat assessment and investigation.
Upcast Benefits: No improvement from higher spell slots, making this a pure 1st-level utility investment.
Campaign Phases: Essential across all levels for health safety and investigation activities.
Comparative Value: Excellent detection magic that provides crucial health awareness, especially when cast as a ritual.
Narrative Flavor
Casting Description: Natural awareness expands as your senses attune to the subtle signs of poison and disease in your surroundings.
Effect Manifestation: Dangerous substances and creatures reveal themselves through enhanced perception, with distinct sensory impressions for different threats.
Personal Style: Druids sense natural corruption through earth connection, clerics perceive divine insight into health threats, while rangers use honed survival instincts.
World Integration: Represents practical detection magic available to nature and divine casters, often associated with healing traditions, wilderness survival, or public health protection.
Tactical Usage
Health Threat Detection: Detect Poison and Disease provides essential awareness of biological and magical health threats. This 1st-level divination spell excels at identifying dangerous substances and contaminated areas.
Optimal Timing: Most effective when exploring contaminated areas, investigating poisoning incidents, or preparing for encounters with venomous creatures.
Resource Management: Uses a 1st-level spell slot or ritual casting - available from character level 1+. 10-minute duration provides substantial investigation time.
Target Selection: Self-targeting provides 30-foot radius detection. Move systematically to sweep areas for health hazards.
Spell Combinations
Synergistic Spells:
- Protection Magic: Layer with protection from poison once threats are identified
- Healing Magic: Combine with purify food and drink or lesser restoration for comprehensive health protection
- Investigation Spells: Pair with other detection magic for complete area safety assessment
Class Feature Interactions:
- Natural Medicine: Rangers and druids gain enhanced understanding of natural poisons and diseases
- Divine Healing: Clerics and paladins can immediately treat identified threats
- Wilderness Skills: Survival expertise improves interpretation of detected natural dangers
Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple casters can cover larger areas or provide overlapping health threat detection.
Material Component Details
Component Acquisition: Yew leaf - available from yew trees, herbalists, or druidic suppliers.
Component Handling: Component not consumed during casting. Single leaf can be reused repeatedly.
Roleplay Opportunities: Different leaves or natural components might reflect regional traditions or druidic practices.
Economic Considerations: Minimal component cost makes this viable for regular health screening, especially when cast as a ritual.
Creator Notes
Encounter Balancing: Poison and disease detection affects encounters with venomous creatures and contaminated environments.
NPC Usage: Healers, herbalists, or city guards might use this for public health monitoring or crime investigation.
Environmental Considerations: Particularly valuable in swamps, dungeons, or areas with known contamination risks.
Campaign Integration: Essential health magic for campaigns involving plague outbreaks, poisoning mysteries, or hazardous environments.
Environmental Interactions
Terrain Effects: 30-foot radius detection centered on caster. Blocked by substantial barriers like stone, metal, or thick organic matter.
Weather Influence: Unaffected by weather conditions, providing reliable health threat detection regardless of external factors.
Structural Interactions: Blocked by barriers - 1 foot stone/dirt/wood, 1 inch metal, or thin lead sheet.
Elemental Interactions: Detects both natural and magical sources of poison and disease, including contaminated water or air.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Timing Questions: Action casting time or ritual (10 minutes). Concentration up to 10 minutes for ongoing detection.
Target Limitations: Self-range with 30-foot detection radius. Identifies specific types of poisons, creatures, and contagions.
Duration Interactions: Concentration required. Can be maintained while performing other activities.
Mechanical Interactions: Provides specific identification of poison/disease types and locations of dangerous creatures.
Alternative Applications
Non-Combat Uses: Food safety testing, water source verification, medical diagnosis assistance, or environmental health assessment.
Social Encounters: Investigate suspected poisoning, verify food safety at social events, or identify health threats in populated areas.
Exploration Applications: Safe campsite selection, water source evaluation, or hazardous area assessment.
Utility Functions: Public health monitoring, crime scene investigation, medical practice assistance, or environmental safety screening.
Related Spells
Same School: Other divination spells like detect magic (1st level magical detection), detect evil and good (1st level supernatural detection), locate animals or plants (2nd level creature finding).
Similar Effects: purify food and drink (1st level contamination removal), lesser restoration (2nd level condition removal), neutralize poison (condition treatment).
Progression Options: detect poison and disease (1st level identification), lesser restoration (2nd level treatment), greater restoration (5th level comprehensive healing).
Complementary Magic: purify food and drink (treat detected contamination), protection from poison (prevent identified threats), lesser restoration (cure detected conditions).
Scaling Analysis
Level Progression: Remains consistently valuable throughout campaigns for health threat assessment and investigation.
Upcast Benefits: No improvement from higher spell slots, making this a pure 1st-level utility investment.
Campaign Phases: Essential across all levels for health safety and investigation activities.
Comparative Value: Excellent detection magic that provides crucial health awareness, especially when cast as a ritual.
Narrative Flavor
Casting Description: Natural awareness expands as your senses attune to the subtle signs of poison and disease in your surroundings.
Effect Manifestation: Dangerous substances and creatures reveal themselves through enhanced perception, with distinct sensory impressions for different threats.
Personal Style: Druids sense natural corruption through earth connection, clerics perceive divine insight into health threats, while rangers use honed survival instincts.
World Integration: Represents practical detection magic available to nature and divine casters, often associated with healing traditions, wilderness survival, or public health protection.